Business View interviews Ray Bourque, Mayor of Broussard, Louisiana, for our focus on Growth and Economic Development in U.S. Cities

If you want to run a successful city, you first have to take care of its residents. That’s the mantra for Broussard, Louisiana Mayor Ray Bourque, who shares, “We want to make sure we are supportive of our residents, and supportive of our businesses that are here, because they are what is important for our city if we are going to look at growth in the future. We have to be a healthy place for people to work and live.”

And he believes the best way to accomplish that is through infrastructure. “Infrastructure in my opinion is key,” says Bourque. “Because for healthy growth you have to keep the pace up and having a well thought out plan for the city is something we work on constantly. We take the time to plan projects and where we want to go. We want to continue efforts for quality of life in our city.”

Located in the Lafayette parish of Louisiana, the city of approximately 12,000 residents, as estimated by the US Census, has undergone many infrastructure improvements in recent years. Following major flooding that hit Southern Louisiana in 2016, Broussard made a big commitment to improve drainage infrastructure and that has continued ever since. They have also been upgrading and expanding capabilities for clean drinking water, the city’s ability to handle and process wastewater, as well as road improvements.

Bourque emphasizes, “If our city is going to be able to take advantage of opportunities that present themselves for economic growth and quality of life improvements, we have to have the most stable base that we can and those infrastructure improvements are vital. When a company is looking at moving here, we want to be in a position that we can handle that growth. It’s part of quality of life for our citizens. It’s just a fundamental responsibility of municipal government to be able to supply infrastructure needs so people can be successful, live here, work here, go to school here and have success in those things and not have to always play the game of catch up.”

In addition to underground infrastructure, Broussard has been investing in above-ground recreation options for its citizens. A 122-acre, state-of-the-art sports complex was completed four years ago, giving residents access to baseball diamonds, and soccer/football fields, as well as a professional disc golf course, splash pad, and walking trails. “These things are at home in Broussard for our residents and it just makes us a more attractive place to live,” says Bourque. “These kind of things help us grow because people want to live in our city. If you supply quality of life for your residents, then a tourism initiative is natural. People want to come and see what you have to offer and they want to enjoy the spaces you have created.”

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